Yes, it would. There are different degrees of homophobia, but it's all still homophobia. If, for instance, Caroline claimed that she "loved" Will, but believed that being gay was a sin that was ultimately going to result in Will's soul being condemned to hell, that's homophobia. It doesn't suddenly stop being homophobia just because it's hidden behind religious beliefs, just like racism doesn't suddenly stop being racism just because someone prefaces it with, "Some of my best friends are black." I'm sorry if you don't agree with the word, but that's what it is.

Caroline can be deeply religious without being written as a person who takes every single word of the Bible as the gospel. She does not have to believe that being gay is a sin simply because she is religious. She might be choosing to remember another key teaching of the Bible instead -- you know, that one about not judging other people.

Here's my point: homophobia, the term, is divisive. It is engineered to divide people.

The proof is this quoted post. She has to give up deeply held beliefs to avoid being branded this awful term?

With that said, I believe that the actual term homophobia breaks down into two words: homo and phobia. The latter is an extreme or irrational fear of something.

Loving someone, but not supporting gay rights, is not the same as being terrified of that person or irrationally fearing them.This term is misused all the time because people who want it to be divisive misuse it deliberately to convince others it's legitimate. I'm not saying that of you - people higher up the food chain, who have agendas do this.